Save Me
by LizzyPoodle
Summary: This story was born from my need to see Dave's lips on Kurt's again.
1. Chapter 1  Changes

Title – Save Me

Fandom – Glee

Author – LizzyPoodle

Rating – T (language)

Characters – Kurt and Karofsky are the main characters

Disclaimer – I don't own these characters.

Summary – This story was borne from my need to see Dave's lips on Kurt's again.

Warnings – Up to BIOTA

**Section 1 - Rainfall**

Holding his umbrella as he dripped his way down the aisle, Kurt walked over to the various peanut butters. He picked out the low-fat kind that he knew his father would eventually come to accept, and then sauntered over to the dairy section. Selecting a gallon of non-fat milk, he checked the dates on several before settling on one. After this quick stop at the market, he could head home and relax in front of a nice fire with some delicious warm milk.

He got in line, smiled at the clerk, and took a glance at what the magazines were touting as news this week.

"Hi, there. Did you find everything that you need?" the checker smiled.

"Yes, thanks," Kurt responded. As he was paying, his phone rang. "Hi, Dad. Yeah, I'm at the store now. No, I'm not getting you that kind of peanut butter. You'll get used to it." Kurt shook his head at the checker, who smiled back at him. Kurt juggled the phone, the umbrella, his bag, and his purchases, and started to head out the door. "Dad, I'll see you soon, o.k.? Bye."

Slipping the phone into his pocket, Kurt headed to the door. He opened the umbrella, tried not to drop either his bag or his items, and braved himself for the rain and cold of another gray day in Lima.

Upon reaching his car, he shuffled the groceries, got his keys out of his pocket, and heard splashing footsteps beating their way toward him.

"Hey, Hummel, you forgot this at the register."

Kurt froze. He knew that voice.

"I told them I'd give it to you. Here."

Heart pounding, feeling ill, Kurt couldn't even turn around.

"Oh, for chrissakes. Don't you want your wallet back? Just take it. I'm not gonna do anything."

Kurt, barely breathing, turned and grabbed the wallet. He frantically hit the button to unlock the doors, and threw himself and all of his items inside. He locked the doors as quickly as he could, and then proceeded to shake. Grasping the steering wheel, he tried to slow the pace of his heartbeats. He glanced out of his window to see what Karofsky was doing.

Kurt continued to shake violently as he watched his former bully walk away, getting drenched in the rain.

**Section 2 – Home**

The adrenaline surge gave Kurt tunnel vision. He felt keenly aware of the need to drive slowly and carefully. He really hadn't thought that he'd be this traumatized by such a benign meeting with Karofsky. It could have gone much worse, really. Kurt inhaled deeply through his nose, and exhaled out from his mouth, trying to calm his nerves.

Burt pulled into the garage as Kurt was exiting his car with his bag and the milk and that truly awful peanut butter. With a wave at his dad, Kurt went into the house, leaving the door unlocked for his father. Kurt didn't feel like getting into what had happened, and he was grateful when Burt came in, said hi, and then went to take his post-work shower, just like he did every day. Kurt finally felt like he could relax. It was good to be home.

"Kurt, are you sure that that was a low fat soup? It was way too good." Burt smiled. Maybe he **would **be able to eat more healthfully, if he could have foods like that.

"It was recommended in that diet that your doctor's office gave us. It's healthy. I'm sure," declared Kurt, thrilled to have produced a successful dinner. Carole liked it, Finn would eat anything, and Burt's commitment to being healthy was intact.

"O.K. You cooked, we'll clean."

Kurt put his dishes in the sink and headed toward his room. First a phone call to Blaine, then homework.

Kurt walked upstairs, dialing Blaine's number. Damn. Voice mail.

"Hi, Blaine! I'm just calling to say hello," and after a brief pause Kurt continued. "I, ummm, I saw Karofsky today. It freaked me out. Call me? Thanks, bye."

After hanging up, Kurt stood still in his room, remembering his earlier freak-out, and thinking back to the many, many horrible things that Dave Karofsky had done to him. Instead of the fear that often accompanied thoughts of Karofsky, the feeling growing inside him now was red-tipped with anger. His school never should have allowed the things that happened to have happened. That asshole had been allowed to get away with absolutely everything. His expulsion hadn't even been upheld after he'd threatened the life of another student. Kurt felt himself growing more and more agitated, when his phone suddenly rang.

Startled out of his anger, Kurt answered. "Hi, Blaine. Yeah, it was kind of a weird day."

**Section 3 – A Movie**

It felt to Kurt like he'd been waiting FOREVER for this movie to come out! Spending a relaxing evening with Mercedes was exactly what he needed. After using the restroom, buying popcorn, and finding seats, the two friends settled in for some fun.

And then Kurt saw them; the red letterman jackets heading down the aisle just a few feet from where he and Mercedes were sitting. His eyes grew wider and his breathing felt labored. No. Not here. Not again.

Karofsky and several other jocks selected seats and shoved one another around until everyone finally had a spot. Why did they have to be so loud? Perhaps their fixation on being obnoxious would allow Kurt to remain off of their radar. Kurt sunk lower into his seat.

"Hey, do you want to go?" asked Mercedes.

Kurt looked at his friend, loving her for her caring, and said "I have been waiting a long time for this. We are staying."

Mercedes kissed his cheek and rested her head on his slight shoulder as the lights gradually dimmed.

"We'll leave as soon as it's over, o.k.?" she asked.

"Thanks," he whispered

"That was TOTALLYworth the wait!" Kurt declared, gathering up his things: hat, gloves, scarf, wallet. "I loved that girl's accent! And the other blond? You know, Sarah? She is gorgeous. I wonder what else she's been in!"

Mercedes and Kurt exited the theater, continuing their happy conversation.

Kurt didn't notice when one of his gloves slipped from his grasp and landed on the floor.

**Section 4 – Aware**

Dave Karofsky had noticed him as soon as he'd entered the theater, of course. He didn't look at him, well, he didn't look at him very much. O.K. He tried not to look at him.

Of course Kurt wouldn't want the football team to notice him. It's just that Dave had been trying, recently. He hadn't slushied anyone in weeks. He hadn't shoved anyone into a locker in months, and he was trying the deep breathing techniques that his therapist had recommended when he started to feel the anger boil inside. He hadn't wanted that therapist, but he was still living at home, and he hadn't been given a choice. And he knew, anyway, in the back of his mind, that he really needed help. He'd honestly scared himself when he'd threatened to kill Kurt. Who the hell had he become?

His friends didn't look around, therefore they didn't see Kurt, and Dave could relax once the movie began. He just hoped that Kurt would leave the theater before the football players caught sight of him once the movie ended. He watched the movie, but wished that he could talk to Kurt, just for a minute, just to be able to look at him again. Dave sighed. As if he cold ever make it up to him.

**Section 5 – Gloves**

"That was "TOTALLY worth the wait!" Dave heard as the credits bean to roll. He hoped that Kurt would get out of there soon. He and his buddies rolled themselves out of their seats and headed toward the exit. As they were leaving the theater, Dave noticed a glove on the floor. He bent to pick it up so that he could turn it in to the theater's manager. It was a nice glove, expensive looking, and made of leather. Dave realized that he'd left his own gloves at his seat.

"I'll see you guys later. I forgot something where we sat." Dave said.

"See you later. I've got to get home," Azimio called back as Dave returned to his seat. The other boys said good-bye, and Dave went to retrieve his forgotten gloves.

Once he found them, he picked them up, and turned to leave again.

Of course Kurt would be standing right there, looking terrified, looking beautiful, wearing one glove.

"Oh, uhhhh, I didn't know that this was yours. It was on the floor." Dave marched over to Kurt, who quickly took several steps back. Dave looked at Kurt's wide eyes and stopped walking. Was Kurt shaking?

"Listen, I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm just trying to return this. Here. I'll leave it on this chair." After pausing briefly to set down the glove, Dave looked at Kurt, cleared his throat, and said "Yeah, so, uhhh, sorry, you know, about everything. I'll just, yeah…."and he walked through a row of seats to get to the other side of the theater so that Kurt wouldn't have to be near him when he picked up his glove.

**Section 6 – Keys**

"These were in the shopping cart that I took," Dave said to the manager, handing over some keys.

"Oh! Sir!" the manager called to someone. "Your keys! A gentleman just turned them in!"

Kurt turned around, a relieved smile glowing on his face as he headed back toward the manager's desk. When he saw that Karofsky was standing there, he stopped moving altogether.

"No. Way," muttered Dave, and then louder, "I guess I found your keys, or something."

The boys looked at one another for an awkward moment.

Kurt shook his head quickly, returned to the manager's desk, thanked him, and grabbed his keys. "Thanks," he uttered as he passed Karofsky on his way out the door.

**Section 7 – Quinn's House**

Weeks passed, the weather grew warmer, and there was no contact between Kurt and Dave. The football team and the members of the Glee Club, although not exactly friends, had become more accepting of one another ever since that halftime show. Quinn was in the mood to celebrate. Why shouldn't she invite everyone over for a party? Her mom was going out of town, and she had the house to herself…what could possibly go wrong?

**Section 8 – Hot Tub**

Unlike Rachel's party, Quinn's started off fun. There were no tickets for drinks, there was music, there was dancing.

There was the hot tub.

Dave tried so hard not to look at Kurt as Kurt laughed with his friends in that hot tub. He willed himself not to think of Kurt's chest, his legs, his ass.

Kurt was having fun, fun, FUN! He couldn't remember the last time that anything had been this much fun, just, ever! He'd only had 2 wine coolers, or maybe 3, but he was SO relaxed. The water in the tub felt SO heavenly. He felt like laughing and laughing; everybody was SO FUNNY! Had they always been this funny? He just loved his friends.

People had been going in and out of the hot tub all night, but not Kurt. He just wanted to stay in there forever. It was awesome in the hot tub, especially with Karofsky staying away from it. Maybe he felt uncomfortable wearing a bathing suit in front of other people. Whatever. Kurt felt too good to care.

"Karaoke!" called Quinn.

"Come on, Kurt! Let's go!" said Rachel.

"Yeah, Kurt! Come on!" added Brittany.

"Go ahead. I'll be inside in a little bit."

With a happy sigh, Kurt closed his eyes. The girls left him to enjoy himself, knowing that they'd see him soon. There was no way that Kurt would miss out on Karaoke.

Kurt sat in the bubbles and hummed a sigh of contentment. After just a few minutes alone, however, he started to feel tired. Really, really tired. Suddenly it was hard to hold up his head. He felt light, like he was drifting away, and his stomach didn't feel quite right, and he was so, so tired.

Dave finished up in the restroom and headed toward the living room. Everyone was there, singing and laughing and drinking. Wait Almost everyone was there. He suddenly got a panicky feeling in his stomach. Kurt hadn't left that hot tub all night. Where was he? Had his stupid friends left him alone in a hot tub after that scrawny lightweight had been drinking?

Dave raced to the backyard and felt relieved, at first, to see that the tub was empty. He walked closer, just to be sure, and gasped. Without thinking, he clambered into the tub as quickly as he could and hauled Kurt's limp body up and out of the water.

"Kurt! KURT! Oh, SHIT! HELP!" Dave screamed, hoping that someone would hear him over the blasting karaoke.

He'd had to take CPR when he'd applied to become a lifeguard.

Tilt the head, make sure that the airway is clear, 2 quick puffs. Kurt's chest was rising with each shared breath from Dave.

30 compressions.

_Come on, Kurt._

_Don't do this._

2 rescue breaths.

30 compressions.

2 breaths.

Out of nowhere came a voice.

"Dave, what the hell? You're kissing…?" asked Azimio.

"Shut the fuck up and call 9-1-1! Call 9-1-1!" panted Dave, continuing chest compressions.

Suddenly Kurt turned his head, just a little bit, only slightly, and then he coughed.

Dave stopped the chest compressions. Kurt moaned, and then he vomited.

Dave vaguely realized that he'd begun to cry as he knelt down close to Kurt, talking softly.

"Kurt! Kurt! You're going to be o.k. Oh, please, Kurt, stay with me…" Dave wept quietly, gently holding Kurt's body once he'd emptied his stomach.

Azimio quickly dug into his pocket and phoned 9-1-1. He went back inside the house in search of Finn.

By the time the ambulance had arrived, everyone knew that Kurt had almost died, and everyone knew that Dave had saved him. Not even Finn had argued when Dave had insisted on following the ambulance to the hospital.

**Section 9 – Tough**

It's tough to hold onto resentment when it's directed at the person who saved your life. He'd had to stay overnight at the hospital for observation. Kurt had woken up with a thick tongue and a migraine. It took all of his concentration just to breathe. He'd never felt this ill before. Never.

After hours of lying on the bed, just focusing on breathing, Kurt was able to think of other things. He planned on staying away from wine coolers, and hot tubs, too, at least for a while. And then he thought about what had almost happened to him…what would have happened to him…had David Karofsky not pulled him from that water.

Kurt knew that it was time. He needed to thank Karofsky for what he'd done. They needed to talk, and Kurt was ready.


	2. Chapter 2  Progress

Title: Save Me

Fandom: Glee

Author: LizzyPoodle

Rating: T (Language)

Characters: Kurt/Karofsky

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Warnings: Up to BIOTA

A/N – Thank you to those who've reviewed, favorited, alerted. I love being a Pirate. :) My goal is to remain calm after Original Song. Please note that the name of my therapist is meant to be a nod to the authors. I hope that it will not offend said authors or their other fans.

**Section 10 – Whispers**

Dave walked around McKinley feeling uncomfortably embarrassed much of the time these days. Of course he was happy that he'd saved Kurt's life. Of course it was reasonable that he'd cried after going through that rather harrowing experience. Of course it made sense that he'd gone to the hospital, just to make sure that the person he had saved would stabilize and be taken care of.

But he knew, he just _knew_, that now there were whispers.

"Can you believe **Karofsky** gave him mouth to mouth?"

"I _know_, right?"

"Hey, Hummel would have **died **without Karofsky doing CPR."

"I know, but _still!"_

"Did you hear that he was crying?"

"Why did he go to the hospital?"

"Why was he _hugging_ him? Are they, like, _together_ now?"

Those whispers shivered up his spine and followed him through the hallways.

"Is he gay? Is Karofsky gay?"

"Dave?" the receptionist called, "Dr. Tessmagz is ready for you."

Dave set down the magazine that he hadn't really been reading anyway. He stood and walked into the office where he had finally begun to find some peace.

**Section 14 – A Talk**

Kurt stared at the phone. Finn's football roster had the phone number of the players. It had been absolutely no problem, whatsoever, to get Karofsky's number. It's just that, he wasn't sure how this was going to work. He had 2 things that he really wanted to say:

Thank you for saving my life.

Why did you save my life?

"Come on, Kurt. Just call," he instructed himself.

He continued to stare at the phone, and jumped when it rang. He couldn't believe when the number that showed on the screen matched the one that he'd just been encouraging himself to dial.

"Hello?" Kurt answered hesitantly.

"Hummel?"

"Hey, Dave, uhhh, I was actually just about to call you."

Silence.

"Oh."

Silence.

Kurt licked his lips, glanced to his right, glanced to his left, glanced to his right again, chewed his lips a little.

"So, uhhhhh, I wanted to thank you for saving my life."

"Ummm, o.k. You're welcome."

Silence.

"Why did you call, Dave?

"I wanted to see how you were doing. I guess you're o.k. That's good. I guess I'll let you go. Ummmm, bye."

Kurt couldn't believe it when the line suddenly went quiet. He exhaled slowly and dialed Dave's number.

"Yeah?"

"You hung up before I could ask you something."

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't know."

"Kurt put his forehead in his hand, closed, his eyes, and breathed. "Is it o.k. if I call you Dave?"

"That's what you want to ask me?"

"Jesus, is it o.k. or isn't it?"

Silence.

"It's o.k."

Kurt sighed. "Listen, Karofsky,"

"I thought you were going to call me Dave."

Kurt's head dropped toward his chest. _Breathe, Kurt_. "You're right. _Dave_, I'm wondering why you saved my life."

Silence.

"Dave?"

"I didn't want you to die."

"But you had to put your mouth on mine, and there were people around."

Silence.

"I just, I couldn't just let you die."

Silence.

"You _do_ remember that you once threatened to kill me, right?"

Silence.

"Of course I remember."

Silence.

"Well, this was kind of a big opportunity for you. I mean, you could have, you know, stopped worrying that I'd tell anyone about you being…"

Silence.

"Gay." Dave finished Kurt's sentence.

Silence.

Dave Karofsky closed his eyes. This was his chance.

He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. It had just been an exercise. He hadn't actually anticipated that he'd be using that little slip of paper for real.

_Come on, Dave. Do this._

And then he spoke.

"Listen, Kurt, I know that I threatened you. I know that I terrified you. I know that I hurt you and embarrassed you and tormented you. I know that I can never make up for doing the things that I did to you. I can't even begin to try. I was given a chance to do right by you. I took it. My therapist…"_shit, he'd forgotten that he'd written that._

Kurt was listening. Kurt was listening hard. Kurt was perhaps listening harder than he'd ever listened to anything. He tried not to let Dave even hear him breathing for fear that it would interrupt the flow of words on which Kurt was intently focused. He waited for Dave to continue.

Dave cleared his throat again. "My therapist says that I'm lucky that I had the opportunity to make the right choice when it came to you….that it's like I'm being given a chance to redeem myself. "

Dave waited for Kurt to say something.

Silence.

Dave continued. This part wasn't scripted. He crumpled up the little paper, shut his eyes, and spoke from his heart.

"Kurt, I am sorry about how I've hurt you. I wish, so much, that I could go back in time, take it all back…but I can't. I don't expect you to forgive me, or anything, but if I have the opportunity to give you back a wallet, or a glove, or your keys…or if I get to keep you from drowning and dying, then I'm just going to be thankful that at least I can treat you right from now on."

Silence.

"Kurt?"

"O.K. Who the hell is your therapist?"

Dave smiled. "Let me know if there's anything that I can do for you, Kurt. I actually came out to my parents when I got home after following you to the hospital. People at school seem to know, well, there are rumors, anyway…whatever. All I'm really interested in doing these days is being better for…"

Silence.

"Being better for…?" asked Kurt.

Dave's mouth felt impossibly dry. "Being better, you know, for…myself." Dave cringed. Could Kurt tell how he'd _almost_ ended the sentence? _Being better for you…_

Silence.

"Dave? You? Have changed."

Dave smiled.

"Kurt? Thanks for noticing."

"Well, good!" Kurt declared, not at all certain where to go from here, how to politely end this conversation, what would happen at sch…

"And Kurt?"

Silence.

"Yes, Dave."

"Thanks. For listening."

Silence.

Silence.

Silence

"You're welcome."


	3. Chapter 3 Indulgence

Title: Save Me

Fandom: Glee

Author: LizzyPoodle

Rating: M

Characters: Kurt/Karofsky

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Warnings: Don't read this if you don't want to read a masturbation scene. This chapter could include references from anything up until Original Song, but it's also fairly AU.

A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner. I did not know where to go after Original Song. This is my third attempt at writing this chapter. The story appears to want to go here, so HERE it'll go! I was aiming for accuracy. I hope that I achieved it!

Indulgence – Section 12

Dave got home from school by 3:30 every day, unless he had practice. Even when he did have to stay after school, he still made it home with an hour to spare before his parents arrived. He had at least one hour each day to indulge himself without being discovered. And he did indulge himself. Daily.

He'd walk upstairs and grab the lotion and the box of tissues. He'd remove his pants, lay down on the bed, and let the fantasies commence. There had been a time when he would actively attempt to think about girls, but he'd stopped doing that months ago. There had also been a time when he'd fought his tendency to fantasize about Kurt, but he'd given up that fight as well. It just felt too good to focus his fantasies where they naturally led him. He didn't want to worry about maintaining a facade when all he was doing was trying to get off.

So here it was, 4:00. He had a couple of hours to himself, and he needed some release.

Grabbing his MacBook, he lay down on his bed, propped himself up on some pillows, and looked for some new porn.

Hot Twink Butt Sex

Young Boys in Locker Room

Twink Party

Sexy Twink

He was well aware that he had a type.

The boys looked good. Hell, the boys looked great. As he imagined what it would be like to be one of the boys in one of those scenes he felt himself start to swell. What would it feel like, some guy letting him push his way inside? And what would it be like to get head from someone who knew what he was doing, someone who had a dick, too? What would it be like to be the one giving the blowjob? What would it feel like to actually suck someone off? Would it get him excited, too, the way that it seemed to do in the videos that he enjoyed? He knew that he would swallow, at least once, just to see what it was like. What would it be like to do what his body yearned to do?

What would it be like to come all over Kurt's face?

With that thought he closed the MacBook, removed the pillows from behind his head, and closed his eyes. He no longer needed the help of the internet.

Reaching down, he cupped his balls, shaking them slightly. After being inside of jeans all day, they needed some room to shift. He opened his eyes, grabbed the lotion, and squeezed it into his hand. After setting the bottle down on his nightstand, he reached down once more. He made himself slick and lightly started the glide up and down his length; slowly at first. He was not in a rush. He wanted this to last.

Breathing deeply, he brought to mind the images that he saved for occasions such as this.

_Kurt, walking toward him, smiling._

_Kurt, walking away from him. That ass!_

_Kurt, licking something off of his lips in the cafeteria._

He tugged on his dick, rubbing the tip of it with the pad of his thumb. Swallowing, he let himself think about things he'd never actually seen, but had imagined vividly.

_Kurt, in Dave's bed, on his knees, stroking himself while Dave watched._

_Kurt, bending over the sofa in Dave's house, letting Dave inside of him inch by inch._

_Kurt's ankles up, next to Dave's head, while Dave slid all the way inside._

Dave shivered, bit his lip, and moaned "Yeahhhh,"

He continued to pull on his cock, clenching and unclenching the muscles in his ass, causing him to thrust more forcefully up, while he squeezed himself more, gripped himself harder.

_Kurt, teasing Dave's cock, barely licking it, lightly tonguing it._

_Kurt, tickling Dave's balls while swallowing as much of Dave down as he could._

_Coming in Kurt's mouth. Watching as Kurt waited for Dave to finish pulsing so that Kurt could be sure not to miss a drop when he swallowed._

Panting, keeping up a steady rhythm -Dave could never be certain which image would ultimately help push him over the edge- but the thought of Kurt's lips wrapped around Dave's cock made him start to move his fist faster, his hand gently bumping into his balls on every downstroke. The _squish_ of the lotion coated Dave's fingers…no…not lotion…Kurt's come was adding the extra lubrication to Dave's ministrations.

"UhhhnnNNNNNNNNNNNN!" the orgasm ripped through him as he thought of Kurt's come covering his own hand. The roar of satisfaction would cause a sore throat later, but it was a small price to pay for coming that hard.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face as he lay in his bed, waiting for his breath to return to normal. Using the tissues, he cleaned himself off.

The things that he dreamed of doing to that boy.


	4. Chapter 4 For Now

Title: Save Me

Fandom: Glee

Author: LizzyPoodle

Rating: Certain chapters – M. This chapter – T.

Characters: Kurt/Karofsky

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Warnings: This chapter could include references from anything up until Original Song, but it's also fairly AU.

**A/N: I wish that I were faster when it comes to updating, but I'm just not. Thanks for your patience! I hope that you will enjoy this chapter!**

Section 13 – For Now

It's not as though Kurt had tons to catch up on; he simply enjoyed the peacefulness of the library. There was just something about a place where people were required to behave themselves. There was a certain elegance to it. He closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply, relishing the quiet. Opening his eyes, he glanced out the window and saw Dave walking, probably toward his car. Leaning in closer toward the window, he watched as Dave picked up a can from where someone must have dropped it on the ground.

_What is he doing picking up trash?_

Dave passed by the trashcan and walked, instead, over to a nearby recycling bin into which he tossed the can. Then Dave glanced up quickly, and ran toward a piece of paper flying in the air.

_What is he doing now?_

Kurt craned his neck to the right and watched as Dave Karofsky, tough guy, former bully, big, strong jock, scrambled to pick up a bunch of papers that, Kurt could now see, had escaped when a girl had dropped her binder. He watched as Dave chased papers that were blowing away. He saw Dave race around, looking slightly silly, as he collected stray dittos. Dave seemed to be doing all of the running around while the girl just sat on the ground with her head bent to her chest and her shoulders shaking.

_Is she crying?_

After gathering all of the papers, Kurt watched as Dave got down on one knee. He must have said something to the girl. She looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders. Dave took the binder gently from the girl, and he started to put away the papers. He opened the rings, and put different papers into different sections, clearly organizing the work for her. He moved slowly. There was nothing haphazard or rushed about his movements. He stopped putting away papers briefly in order to put his hand on her shoulder in a gesture clearly meant to soothe. When she looked up into Dave's eyes, Dave smiled the softest smile that Kurt had ever seen on his face.

_Is he comforting her? When did he become so gentle?_

She smiled back at Dave and seemed to be getting over her upset. Kurt could not believe his eyes when Dave then pulled out something small and plastic containing tissues.

_He carries tissues with him?_

She took a tissue and held it to her nose. Dave said something else, and she smiled a wet little smile back at him. As Dave continued to organize and arrange, she started to help. Together the work went quickly, and soon she was able to close the rings, shut the binder, and put it into her backpack.

Zipping it up, she then slung it over her shoulder and faced her hero. She said a few words to Dave, and he said something in return, which caused her to smile again. Kurt watched this whole scene, rather entranced, and rather stunned. He wished that he could hear the conversation. Both Dave and the girl stood in profile, thus allowing Kurt's view of her mouthed "Thank you," as well as Dave's "You're welcome."

As Dave walked away from the damsel in distress, Kurt could see something that Dave didn't catch; Kurt watched the girl as she watched Dave walk away. Kurt's eyes shifted between the girl and Dave's retreating figure. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him.

_Huh._

"Kurt! Did you hear?" Mercedes asked, hooking her arm into Kurt's on their way to the cafeteria.

"Hear what?"

"Tina told Mike that she was **done** with any further dates that involved Mike's mother. They had a huge fight. It may be over."

Shocking though the news was, Kurt was more interested in what he saw across the cafeteria. There was Dave, sitting at a table by himself. Again. Ever since the whole hot tub incident, it seemed as though Dave spent less time with people who had once been close friends, and much more time alone.

Kurt found it…interesting.

As Dave ate his apple, Kurt smiled at Mercedes, and said, "I'll be right back!"

Dave bit into his apple and took out Johnny Got His Gun. It didn't make for the most appetizing lunchtime reading, but it was an amazing novel, and Dave was happy that this particular piece of required reading did not cause him any struggles. It wasn't an easy read, but, the theme was so obvious, that reading it became almost a pleasure. War is hell. Well, _duh._

"Hey, Dave!" Kurt announced brightly.

Dave had always thought that he'd be able to sense Kurt's approach, but apparently Dalton Trumbo had managed to distract him enough not to have noticed Kurt's presence in the cafeteria. Dave idly wondered if he would ever be able to look at Kurt and **not **think about sex. As he looked at that smile and those eyes, his mouth actually started to water. Not that he would let Kurt see. He already knew that the feelings in this particular relationship were one-sided. But Kurt looked at him now without fear in his eyes, and that was enough for Dave. No, really. Honest. Dave sighed. Maybe someday he'd actually believe himself.

"How's it going, Kurt?"

"I saw you yesterday. You were helping some girl who'd dropped her binder."

"Uhm, where were you? I didn't see anyone else around." Dave responded, discomfort coloring his response.

"I was in the library. I watched the whole thing from the window. You know, she was watching you as you walked away. Heartbreaker," Kurt winked.

Kurt watched as the slow creep of red stained Dave's cheeks.

"It was nothing, Kurt. She just needed a little help."

"Mmm-hmm. You know, I also saw you pick up a can off of the ground."

"Well, people shouldn't litter."

Dave's blush seemed to intensify. Kurt wondered why he should feel embarrassed.

"Uh-huh. And then I watched you walk **not** to the trash can, which was not too far from you, but rather to a recycling bin, which was farther away."

And that bright red stayed on those sweet cheeks.

_Sweet cheeks? Really, Kurt? Did I actually just think that?_

"If we don't care for the planet, who will?"

Dave's quiet response rendered Kurt nearly speechless.

_Who __**is**__ this boy?_

They stared at one another for a suspended moment before Dave broke the visual connection with a rather obvious fake cough directed into his hand.

"So," Kurt spoke slowly "You're interested in the environment and conservation?"

"It's not unheard of to be concerned about our planet, Kurt."

"I guess I just never realized that you would be someone who was quite so…" Kurt's voice trailed away.

"Granola?" Dave jokingly replied.

Kurt shook his head. He focused his attention on Dave's face, daring him to look away.

"No, Dave. I never realized that you could be so caring."

As they stared at one another, the world seemed to tilt. Kurt wondered if Dave could feel it, too.

Holding Dave's gaze, Kurt almost demanded, but tried to coax, instead, "Come and eat lunch with us, Dave." _Come and sit with us. Come and sing with us. Come and be with me._

_Be with me? Wait. What?_

"Do you know who that girl was?" Dave asked, a sharp edge to his tone that Kurt did not understand.

Kurt shook his head.

"That was the first girl that I ever recall bullying. There were probably other kids before her, but she's the first one that I intentionally went out of my way to harass. It was freshman year, and I was trying to look cool, and I said to her 'What's it like being a chick as flat as a board?' All my friends cracked up and slapped me on the back. She stayed away from me after that. You know what else I used to do with my friends, you know, for fun? We'd spray paint buildings. Yeah, I vandalized shit with my friends. I have been an ass for a really long time. That girl yesterday? She wasn't watching me walk away because she's interested. She was probably just making sure that I wasn't going to turn around and hurt her."

With that, Dave stood up, tucked Dalton Trumbo into his backpack, and prepared to leave. Then he looked at Kurt's hurt face and realized that he couldn't leave yet. He was done with being the cause of hurting Kurt.

Besides, he knew that Kurt had only been trying to be friendly. He hadn't meant to make Dave feel bad, but having Kurt catch him as he tried to atone was…sort of embarrassing. Dave was trying really, really hard, but there was a lot of fixing that he had to do, and he preferred doing his penance without an audience, particularly if that audience included his crush.

But _you _try handling a sad Kurt face. It isn't for the faint of heart.

"I told you over the phone that you should let me know if there's anything that I can do for you. **Is** there something that I can do for you?"

Kurt crossed his hands in front of his chest, held Dave's eyes and said, "I told you what I want. Come and eat lunch with us." Kurt did not entirely understand why he felt such a pull toward David Karofsky, nor did he comprehend why it bothered him so much to see his former tormentor eating alone. Kurt had been his own defender for a very long time, and for whatever reason, he wanted to trust Dave, at least for the moment.

Dave and Kurt stared at one another. Finally, Dave shrugged and conceded, "Alright. This is what you want? Lunch with me? Lead the way," and that's exactly what Kurt did.

Both boys were surprised at just how nice that lunch together turned out to be. And if Mercedes noticed her BFF sneaking sideways glances at Karofsky when he thought that no one was looking, well, she was just going to keep that information to herself. For now.

**Reviews are like rainbows and ice cream cones! **


	5. Chapter 5  Hermit Thrush

Title: Save Me

Fandom: Glee

Author: LizzyPoodle

Rating: Certain chapters – M. This chapter – T. (I've forgotten if T is mild…this is really mild.)

Characters: Kurt/Karofsky

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Warnings: This chapter could include references from anything up until Original Song, but it's also fairly AU.

A/N – In this story Blaine and Kurt are friends, but not more than that. Before I started to write this story, I truly had no understanding of the power of your reviews. I thank you for each one. They mean a great deal to me! I hope that you will enjoy this chapter. There's a teensy bit of wildlife biology in it.

Section 14 – Hermit Thrush

At the end of the school day, Kurt was walking toward his car when he spotted a familiar letterman jacket hunched over something on the ground.

Wondering what Dave was up to now, Kurt decided to head over and find out.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked.

Dave looked up at him and there was real relief on his face. "I'm so glad to see you! I can't leave him alone. Stay here and watch him. I'll be back in a few minutes." As Dave straightened and started to jog away, Kurt found his voice.

"Dave, where are you…?" 

"Just give me five minutes. Stay with him so that he's not alone!" Dave called over his shoulder as he hurried off.

Without further delay Dave turned around a corner, leaving Kurt alone with…

a bird.

Kurt bent down and looked at the rather terrified looking creature. He didn't touch it, but there certainly appeared to be something wrong. Kurt wondered why it couldn't seem to fly. He didn't really want to be around another dead bird. He still missed Pavarotti.

"Hey, there, pretty bird. You're gonna be o.k." Kurt cooed, trying to use a calm and comforting voice. The bird did not respond, but its eyes remained open, and it was breathing.

"Hmmm, hang in there, sweetie. Dave is almost back." Kurt was willing to wait and find out what Dave was going to do in this situation. Dave was, after all, full of surprises these days. Why should it shock Kurt that the mystery that was Dave Karofsky would know how to help a small bird.

After several minutes Dave came jogging back toward Kurt. Kurt was well acquainted with what he was carrying.

"Where did you get an empty shoe box," Kurt asked incredulously, "and latex gloves?" Kurt continued when Dave pulled a pair out of his back pocket."

Ignoring Kurt's question, Dave instead panted "Thanks for staying with him. I needed to get this out of my car. I didn't want to just leave him sitting here where someone could hurt him."

"You had an empty shoe box and latex gloves in your car?"

"What can I say, Kurt? A Boy Scout is always prepared," Dave smiled.

"A Boy Scout?"

"I used to be one," Dave shrugged.

Dave put on the gloves and very, very gently wrapped his hands lightly around the terrified creature. He placed it in the box on top of some fabric.

"You just happened to have a piece of fabric for this bird, too, Dave?" Kurt asked, looking inside the box at the petrified animal.

"It's my shirt."

At that, Kurt looked up at Dave.

"What do you mean? You keep extra shirts in your car?"

"No. I don't carry extra shirts in my car," Dave responded.

"Well, where did you get the shirt?"

Dave pointedly avoided looking at Kurt as Kurt's eyes began to dance all over Dave's chest, wondering, wondering…

"Are you telling me that you aren't wearing a shirt under your jacket?" Kurt spoke slowly. The image in his head was making it somewhat difficult to formulate his thoughts as quickly as usual.

"Yes, Kurt, that's what I am telling you," Dave responded, finally looking Kurt in the eye, daring him to say something about Dave's body. Ready for an insult. Bracing himself for sharp words that he just _knew_ were about to hit him.

Kurt's mouth was slightly open. He pressed his lips together and gulped.

"Let me see," Kurt whispered.

"What?" he said, shocked, eyes boring holes into Kurt's.

"What?" he repeated more quietly, trying not to further traumatize the bird.

"Let me…uhm…you know what? You look like you've got this covered now. I've got to head home and make dinner. I do a lot of the cooking in our house. I mean, I know how to make healthy foods taste good, which is important for my dad; he doesn't have the best heart. And it's not like I'd trust Finn with a stove. Ha ha! Yeah! So! I'll see you, o.k.? O.K. Bye." Kurt turned to hustle away from this situation, from his embarrassment.

_Let me see? Let me __see__? Kurt! What the hell? _

"Kurt, wait," Dave implored.

_Just keep walking._

"Kurt! Hey, look! He's moving!" Dave declared happily.

"He's moving? Really?" Kurt raced back toward Dave so that he could see what was going on with the bird.

Unfortunately, said bird stopped moving when Kurt hurried toward it.

"It's o.k., little guy," Dave said sweetly. "Don't be scared. We're not going to hurt you." Dave set the box down on the concrete sidewalk.

"Sometimes when birds fly into windows they break their necks, but sometimes all that happens is that they stun themselves. I was walking inside the hallway and I saw this bird hit the glass of the window."

"And you raced outside to help it," Kurt finished with a disbelieving shake of his head. Dave was certainly becoming predictable. If there was a situation that required a hero, Dave would step up and fill the role. As horrible as he used to be appeared to be as magnificent as he was now, and that pull toward David tugged at Kurt. Hard.

"Do you know a lot about birds?" Kurt wondered, recalling Pavarotti.

"They're interesting. This one is a hermit thrush. Their song sounds sort of like a flute."

"How do you know what kind of bird this is? They all sort of look the same to me."

"Once you've spent some time with them, you can see the differences more easily."

"And you've spent a lot of time with them?" Kurt questioned, enjoying looking into the depths of Dave's green-brown eyes…enjoying having those eyes looking deeply back into his.

"My dad and I used to go hiking together. He taught me about different birds and other animals. I like hermit thrushes. They're small and cute and they really have a beautiful song." With those words Dave stopped, gulped, and hoped Kurt might not notice the similarities between himself and the bird under discussion.

"Oh." Kurt wasn't sure how to continue this conversation, although it didn't really feel complete; _he_ didn't really feel complete. He was inordinately pleased that Dave seemed to like cute, small things that sing.

All of a sudden, there came a brief scratching sound from below, and then the bird flew out of the box and into the sky, surprising Kurt. It had seemed nearly lifeless, but Dave had been correct. It had just needed some time to get its bearings, and it appeared to be flying just fine.

The boys watched in wonder as it flew away.

"Would you, maybe, you know, want to go on a hike with me sometime?" Dave asked tentatively.

Kurt quickly shifted his gaze back to Dave.

"I'm not much of a hiker. I wouldn't want to slow you down."

"We can go slowly. I don't mind," Dave quickly responded.

After just a couple of moments of awkward silence, Kurt smiled and gave his answer.

"O.K. I'd like that." He felt sort of stupid, but he could not seem to stop grinning.

"What are you doing Saturday?" Dave asked, rather stunned at what appeared to be happening.

"Saturday? Saturday. I'll be learning about birds on a slow and gentle hike with my, my full-of-surprises…friend."

"I look forward to it," Dave returned, sort of heartbroken at being called a friend, while sort of simultaneously rejoicing at the same label.

"I can pick you up at 9:00, if that's o.k. I know a really nice trail not too far from where I live."

"9:00 sounds good! I'm looking forward to our…uhm…our hike." Kurt actively had to stop himself from using the word _date_.

"Wear comfortable clothes, nothing too fancy, o.k.?"

"Worried about my wardrobe, David?"

"I just know that you have a lot of really nice clothes. It's better if you don't get too dressed up for a hike."

"I think I can figure out how to dress for a nature walk," Kurt assured him.

Dave, nervous that he'd offended Kurt, didn't know quite what to say.

"Well. You have my number. Call me and I'll give you my address."

"I'm sorry if I offended you about your clothes," blurted Dave.

After a few moments of silence Kurt smiled and spoke.

"It is so strange how you've changed. You used to shove me into lockers, and now you're sorry if you say even the slightest thing to me that can be seen as critical. We are o.k. Really. Don't worry about it, Dave. I'm not offended. Call me later about my address, alright?" Kurt put his hand onto Dave's arm, waiting for a response.

"O.K. I'll call you tonight."

"I really do have to go. I'll talk to you later. Bye, Dave." Dave watched as Kurt walked away, and Dave's heart soared.

**Your reviews mean the world to me!**

By the way, in the scene where Kurt and Blaine are burying Pavarotti, if you listen very closely you can hear a hermit thrush singing in the background. My wildlife biologist friend had me pause the scene so that she could go online and show me what hermit thrushes look and sound like. She knows more about birds than I know about anything. She likes Klaine, but what **really** excited her about that scene was hearing that hermit thrush singing in the background…which **I** found sort of hilarious.


	6. Chapter 6  Along the Way

Title: Save Me

Fandom: Glee

Author: LizzyPoodle

Rating: Certain chapters – M. This chapter – T. (I've forgotten if T is mild…this is really mild.)

Characters: Kurt/Karofsky

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Warnings: This chapter could include references from anything up until Original Song, but it's also fairly AU.

A/N – I don't have the words to express how touched I am by each review and alert. Please just know that your words mean a lot. Really. Again, I must apologize for being slow on the update. I do not understand how some authors write chapters so quickly. It's a bit of a mystery that I will probably never be able to solve. I hope that you will enjoy this next chapter!

Section 15 – Burt and Dave and Anxiety

Dave was surprised. He hadn't thought that he'd actually be able to eat breakfast, but he enjoyed his bowl of Raisin Bran, just like he had on many other occasions. He had been worried that maybe he'd have a hard time choosing what to wear, but he put on a comfortable pair of jeans and a long-sleeved green shirt without over-thinking the process of getting dressed. He'd slept well, his truck's gas tank was full, and he'd put together some lunch for later. He was not having a hard time breathing. He wasn't sweating profusely. He was feeling good.

The trouble began once he was on the road. Some people listen to music when they drive. His parents listened (and clucked with worry) to the news. Multitaskers probably tried to learn a new language. While many might have guessed that he'd text and drive, what he really did was much simpler; he worried. He thought and he planned and he worried. After working so hard for so long to live a lie, he'd become practiced in thinking about how things could, and almost certainly would, go wrong.

To protect himself, he had learned to use his car-time to his advantage and plan how he would get through the day with no one finding out his secret. He had not yet become accustomed to **not** needing to work so hard to protect a secret that was no longer a secret. In the car he'd become too comfortable with anxiety.

It still surprised him how minimal the impact had been when he didn't deny the rumors that he was gay. He hadn't been attacked. He hadn't had any real problems in the locker room. The other guys had simply distanced themselves from him. While he absolutely preferred being ignored to being harassed, he definitely felt the absence of the friends he used to have. He knew that he was probably spending too much time alone, and being alone left him plenty of time to think.

Thoughts tumbled around themselves, twisting like clothes in a dryer. What would it be like to spend a day alone with Kurt? Why had Kurt even agreed to this? Would it be any fun for either one of them? What had he been _thinking_, honestly, when he'd asked Kurt if he wanted to go on a hike with him? Was Kurt just trying to be nice? What would it be like to face Mr. Hummel? And on and on…all the way to Kurt's house.

By the time that he'd arrived, he was perspiring lightly. All he could do was hope that his underarms were still dry. He didn't want to be caught just sitting in his truck, if anyone was watching for him from inside the house, so he heaved himself out of the car, and walked up the path toward the front door. Ringing the bell, he straightened his shirt, rubbed his hands together lightly and tilted his head toward the right and then toward the left, trying to loosen up the tight muscles there.

Mr. Hummel opened the door, a skeptical look on his face.

"Mr. Hummel, how are you, sir?" Dave asked, extending his hand.

"Kurt's been talking about you. You've done some good things recently. Thank you for saving my son's life. Do not screw this up. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," Dave responded in the respectful manner he had been rehearsing in case this sort of scenario occurred.

"Alright, then. Come in," Burt said, only slightly begrudgingly. "Kurt said to tell you that he'd be ready in a few minutes." Burt led Dave toward the living room.

"O.K. Thanks."

The man and the boy stood in completely uncomfortable silence for the longest 43 seconds ever. Dave counted each of them as they slowly snailed passed. He stopped himself from rubbing at his ever-tightening neck muscles, and then Kurt entered the room.

"Hi, Dave! Dad, stop glowering. You're scaring him. Ready? Let's go!" Dave wondered if anyone else noticed that rooms actually got brighter when Kurt entered them.

"Wait a minute. Where, exactly, will you be hiking? When are you going to be home?" Burt demanded, not entirely able to trust this boy who used to hurt his son.

"Dad! I'm going to be fine," Kurt protested.

"Actually, Mr. Hummel, I printed out the hiking trail where I'll be taking Kurt. You'll be able to call him, if you need to. There's a signal where we'll be," Dave assured Kurt's anxious father, taking the printout of the hiking trail from his back pocket and handing it to Kurt's dad.

Burt took the printout from Dave's hands quickly, hoping no one noticed the surprised look on his face.

"Uhh, thanks" he muttered, somewhat taken aback, and definitely grateful. Dave had obviously made preparations for today, keeping in mind what a worried father may appreciate.

"Bye, Dad," Kurt said in his soft voice, leaning over to kiss his father's cheek.

"Good-bye, Mr. Hummel. I'll have Kurt home by 3:00."

"Have a good time," father said to son, worry still evident in his tone, along with a sense of resignation. "Here, take some money, just in case," Burt said, handing Kurt several twenties. When Kurt looked like he was about to protest, Burt cut him off, "Just take it. It'll make me feel better."

"Thanks, Dad. " Kurt said, shaking his head, loving his father.

"O.K.! Shall we?" Kurt's face lit up as he turned his attention to Dave, who was just trying not to interrupt the interaction before him.

"Let's go," Dave agreed, pleased that he'd made it though the brief interview-with-the-parent without having embarrassed himself, or passed out, or anything. Things were looking up, even if his neck muscles defiantly refused to agree.

Section 16 – On the Way

Dave realized that he wasn't used to seeing Kurt in a nondescript pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He looked cute. He always looked cute, but this was different, and the difference seemed to add to the appeal. In a strange way, it felt as though Kurt had dressed just for Dave.

"So! I'm ready for my education to begin. Tell me everything there is to know about birds," Kurt suggested brightly, as the car sped along the road.

"Oh. I don't know that much, really, just some stuff that I learned growing up," Dave offered.

"Don't be humble. Teach me! I am here to learn!" Kurt declared, a smile in his voice.

"Uhm, well, I mentioned that my dad and I hiked a lot when I was growing up, remember?" Dave asked, looking over at Kurt, who nodded in response with a warm expression of interest on his face. His beautiful face. His perfectly perfect, and completely magnificent face.

Abruptly Dave shifted his gaze back to the road once he noticed that his car was suddenly straddling 2 lanes. Staring at Kurt was putting them in mortal danger. He subtly (he hoped it was subtle) steered back into one lane and took a deep breath, trying to relax.

"Dave?"

"Yeah?"

You're being so quiet. Is everything alright?"

Dave was blowing this. His muscles tensed further.

"Sorry. Yeah. So, uhm, my dad used to tell me what birds we saw. Today we'll probably see Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals, maybe some kind of warbler…"

"Oh! Did you know that the group that I sang with at Dalton was called 'The Warblers'?"

Dave gulped at the mention of the school where Kurt retreated when Dave's bullying had become unbearable. Shame flooded through him in memory of what he used to do, who he used to be.

"Dave?" Kurt prodded, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

"Sorry, yeah, I heard the name of the group. Did you like that school?"

"I did, but I missed McKinley."

An uncomfortable silence filled the car. Kurt waited for Dave to say something. Finally, Dave couldn't take it.

"I really am so sorry, Kurt. I can't believe I used to treat you the way th-"

"Stop, Dave. You are not the same person that you used to be. You've apologized. I've accepted your apology. Let's move on."

Dave's head whipped to the right, his eyes and attention riveted on what Kurt had just said.

"What did you say?" Dave asked, trying to focus on both this conversation and the road.

"What? You aren't the same person that you used to be. Don't you realize that?" Kurt asked, genuinely confused.

Dave calmly, slowly, and safely pulled the car off to the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked. "Is the car O.K.?"

"Sorry, I'm sorry, Kurt. I just had to pull over."

"Why?"

"Did you just say that you forgive me?"

"Yes," answered Kurt

"You have?"

Kurt looked quizzically at Dave. "Yes. I told you that already. For someone with such a tough-guy reputation, you do tend to grovel."

The two boys looked at each other; Kurt, slightly irritated at this odd interruption to the drive, Dave slightly stunned by the gift that Kurt had just given.

"Kurt, you are going to have to trust me on this. I would not forget hearing you say that you accept my apology. Not that I expect you to. I mean, I was horrible and,"

"Dave! Enough! I wonder what's actually more important…that I forgive you or that **you** forgive you."

There was that stifling silence again.

Finally, Kurt continued, "But to be completely clear, let me say this now." He locked his eyes onto Dave's, and spoke slowly, clearly, and sincerely. "David Karofsky. I accept your apology. I know how sorry you are. I know that you have changed. I know that you wouldn't hurt me again. I know, and I forgive you."

Dave was finding it difficult to breathe around the lump in his throat. His breath hitched, and he tried not to cry.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness," Dave whispered. "I'll never be able to…"

Kurt unbuckled his seatbelt. "Shhh, Dave. Stop," he instructed, putting his hand on Dave's shoulder, idly rubbing along the rather developed deltoid muscle hiding beneath the sleeve of that shirt, but Dave just closed his eyes and choked back what sounded like sobs.

"Dave, hey, it's O.K., come here. It's O.K." Kurt leaned closer, not sure exactly what to do, but knowing that Dave was suffering, and knowing too, that he wanted it to stop.

Leaning further across the seat, giving Dave the time and opportunity to tell him to stop, Kurt slowly and carefully reached around Dave's shoulders, drew him against Kurt's own chest, and held him while Dave's body shook as he cried.

**I'd love it if you'd review! Let me know what you think! **


	7. Chapter 7  Time Together

Title: Save Me

Fandom: Glee

Author: LizzyPoodle

Rating: Certain chapters – M. This chapter – T.

Characters: Kurt/Karofsky

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Warnings: This chapter could include references from anything up until Funeral, but it's also fairly AU.

**A/N – Thanks thefirstmrshummel…because you're awesome.**

**The pink post-it, cornflakesareglutenfree, jekyllhj7, Lolee Ann, GoldenPetal13, rubyliss, ibshafer, Miss Sammy, kittendragon, Libelluledargent, Carolina H. Manning…thanks for your reviews. I wish that I could hug each of you for being so encouraging. **

**To everyone who reviews, please just know that your words inspire me to keep going. I wish that I wrote faster…but…yeah.**

**To everyone who just checks out this story, thanks for caring enough about it, and about our boys, to want to see what happens next. **

**I hope that this chapter meets with your approval. Let me know what you think! Here we go!**

**Section 17 – Don't Be Embarrassed**

Kurt held Dave as he cried, surprised at the sudden onset of Dave's tears. Although Kurt may have appeared frail to Dave, at one time, he was anything but, gripping Dave's torso with a strength both unexpected and as welcome as coming home.

Once the sobs turned into choked swallows, and then subsided into deep breaths as Dave tried to calm himself, Kurt reluctantly loosened his hold. Letting go of Dave allowed Kurt to examine him, trying to get a look at his face.

"Sorry," Dave mumbled, looking down.

"I think you may have needed that."

"Way to start off a day, right?" Dave attempted to joke, filled with embarrassment that Kurt had witnessed his emotional breakdown.

"Don't worry about it. It's good to get it out," Kurt said lightly, trying to ease the tension in the truck.

It was a stunning day, bright and sunny, but with a brisk bite in the air that kept it from feeling too hot. Kurt wanted this day to be fun for both of them, and he tried to think of how he could help Dave to relax. His shoulders were hunched up practically to his ears; his posture positively oozed tension.

"Are you O.K.?" Kurt asked, his genuine concern warming Dave from the inside.

Finally Dave looked up at him.

And Kurt's heart broke at the combination of emotions that played across Dave's face: sadness, uncertainty, hope…

Dave's face was wet with tears, and his nose was running.

"I packed some napkins. Let me just…I need to blow my nose. The bag is behind my seat. Can you grab a napkin for me?"

"Of course!" Kurt scrambled to get to the bag that Dave mentioned. Right on top were some napkins. He handed a few to Dave.

"Thanks," Dave said, still embarrassed. "Uhm, actually, let me just get some air for a second, then we can go, alright?"

"O.K.," Kurt responded. "Should I just stay in the car?"

"Yeah. I'll only be a second. Hang on, O.K.?" and Dave exited the vehicle with the napkins. He walked toward the back of the truck, so Kurt couldn't see him, but he heard him blow his nose.

Kurt closed his eyes and sighed. He was self-aware enough to recognize the way that he now reacted to Dave. He'd grown accustomed to the way his own body seemed to want to be near Dave's. It hardly even mystified him anymore, the warm spread of soft emotion that expanded in his chest in his chest whenever he was with Dave. And now he'd held him as he'd cried…and he wanted to hold him still.

The driver's door opened abruptly, Dave threw his body inside, and he smiled too-brightly, announcing, "O.K., Hummel, enough of this emo-shit. Let's go."

"Yes, let's," Kurt agreed, trying hard to keep his own emo-shit to himself.

**Section 18 – Mine**

Upon arriving at the trail, Dave parked and turned to Kurt.

"You have a couple of choices to make."

"I do?" Kurt's eyebrow quirked up in question.

"You do. I wasn't sure what you'd want for lunch, so you'll have to let me know. I made a turkey sandwich, a pastrami sandwich, and an egg salad sandwich. There's also a choice of water, soda, or apple juice. You'll have to choose now because I don't really want to carry all of that food on the hike. I'll bring whatever you select. Oh, I also brought granola bars and some chips. And sliced up apples." 

Kurt blinked a few times. He was touched.

"You prepared a picnic? I thought maybe we'd go out to lunch, or something."

Dave, ever uncertain, rushed in, "We don't have to have this stuff. We can go out; I wouldn't mind," and Dave's shoulders climbed their way toward his ears again, straining the neck and shoulder muscles which

Kurt now yearned to soothe.

"Dave, no, I think it's sweet that you made lunch for us. No one has made a lunch for me in years. I…I like it. Let's have a picnic. May I have the turkey sandwich and some water?"

Dave hoped that Kurt was being honest. He_ looked_ sincere.

"Sure. Turkey, water, apple slices, chips. Only the best for you, my Kurt."

They both froze.

_What had he just said?_

"What?" Kurt managed to breathe.

"Uhh…let's go! I'll take the food," Dave said, talking too fast. "Could you carry that?" He pointed to a smaller backpack behind Kurt's seat, as he hopped out of the truck.

Cursing himself, he softly chanted in disbelief "**My** Kurt? **My** Kurt? What the hell was that?"

Kurt, still stunned, sat in the front seat saying to himself, "**My **Kurt? **My** Kurt? What does that mean?"

**Section 19 – Falling**

On Dave's back was a backpack, and around his neck was the strap which was attached to his binoculars. Kurt carried the other backpack, which was not heavy, but was sort of bulky.

"What's in here, anyway?" Kurt asked.

Dave wondered if he would ever feel normal around Kurt; would it always be nervous butterflies and tense shoulders?

"It's a blanket for when we stop to eat," he said, turning anxious eyes toward Kurt, and hoping that the idea of being on a blanket together wasn't upsetting or distasteful.

"Oh, Nice!" Kurt responded. He hadn't thought about it, but he was suddenly glad that he wouldn't be sitting directly on the ground. Nature was lovely, and all; he simply didn't relish the thought of walking around in dirty pants.

"When we walk further away from the parking lot we'll see more animals," Dave mentioned, trying not to stare at Kurt and gauge how he was doing with each step.

Dave was correct, and as they walked onto the marked trail, almost immediately Kurt could _feel _the change. Gone was any asphalt, gone, too, was the crunch of gravel beneath their feet as they stepped. The trail was simply a dirt path that wove through the trees and grasses of the forested area. Kurt could still hear their footsteps, though, even just walking on the dirt. He hated to disturb the quiet perfection of the forest with the unwelcome sound of human feet trampling through. He felt like apologizing to the trees for disturbing their peace.

"Dave?" Kurt questioned haltingly.

"Yeah?" Dave said as he hopped from the upper part of the trail to a section lower down.

"Can we stop for a second?"

"Stop? Why? Are you O.K.?" Dave immediately began to panic. Had Kurt hurt himself? Had he twisted an ankle and Dave had missed it? Dave's eyes moved quickly over Kurt, trying to locate the injury.

"I'm fine. I just want to listen for a minute. It's so quiet here, and I just want to listen. Too weird?" Kurt asked, shrugging sheepishly. He didn't ordinarily go on nature hikes and he hadn't expected the tranquility he sensed here.

"No! Uhh, sure. O.K." Dave said, noting Kurt's relieved smile.

Kurt closed his eyes, sort of embarrassed, but mostly not, wanting to focus on the sounds and smells surrounding him. The quiet around Kurt was not the silence that he'd originally thought; he listened as the wind rustled through the leaves on the trees, and he heard the distant, and also not-so-distant chirrups and whistles of birds.

As Kurt stood, eyes closed, lips parted in a small smile, Dave watched. He noticed each inhale and exhale of the smaller boy's chest. He watched the wind play with Kurt's hair, and wished that he could feel those soft strands in his own fingers. Dave drank in Kurt's face, relaxed and lovely, as he listened to Dave's beloved forest. Too soon Kurt's eyes opened, catching Dave's stare, but Kurt just smiled and said, "I'm so glad that we're doing this. Thanks for inviting me. It's beautiful here."

_And I am falling for you._

"I'm glad that we're doing this, too. If you think that this is nice, wait until you see where we'll be eating lunch. You're going to love it."

"Oh?" Kurt questioned.

"Yeah. It's really something." Unsure of how to get them moving again, Dave went with his instinct and held his hand out to Kurt, palm up, fingers extended, and said "Shall we?"

Without hesitation, Kurt slipped his hand into Dave's grasp and Dave helped him step down onto the lower part of the continued path. Once Kurt had descended, they released hands.

"This way," Dave said, kicking himself for letting go of Kurt's hand so quickly. It hadn't seemed as though Kurt had minded holding his hand, really. Dave sighed quietly to himself, wishing that he wasn't so skittish.

As they walked, they saw the almost scandalous red of a Northern Cardinal. They saw rabbits, squirrels, and many birds, most of which Dave couldn't name, but some of which he could. The sun was out, but the trees provided excellent shade, and the breeze was a constant fan keeping them comfortable. They talked as they walked, pointing our particularly beautiful spots and especially interesting plants. Dave shared his binoculars with Kurt when he wanted him to see more clearly the bird feeding her babies in the nest of a nearby tree.

"Almost there. Are you ready for some lunch?" Dave asked.

"I could eat," Kurt answered, concentrating on not tripping over some disturbingly knotty tree roots.

"Do you need some help?" Dave asked hopefully, watching Kurt make his way toward him carefully.

"No, I'm good," Kurt answered, not wanting Dave to think that he was incapable of handling himself in nature, even if he did feel rather out of his element.

Dave swallowed his disappointment. It shouldn't bother him that Kurt didn't seem to want his help. Besides, he reminded himself, it's not like today was a date, or anything. It was just a couple of friends going on a hike. The disappointment remained a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, not that he would let Kurt know.

"It's just after that fallen tree. I haven't traveled much, but of all of the places that I've seen on earth so far, this one's the most beautiful," Dave announced, hoping that Kurt would agree.

"This I've got to see," Kurt responded. He found himself genuinely curious, wondering what Dave would find beautiful.

And then he saw it.

"Oh, wow," Kurt whispered, stopping completely.

A stream trickled through the forest here. Rocks dotting the stream caused the water to trip and fall and make music as it flowed. Tall grass grew, as did brightly colored flowers that seemed to have no business being here, so unexpected were their vivid hues. There were a couple of large rocks next to the stream. Rays of sunlight shone through the tops of the trees giving the whole area an ethereal glow. Kurt felt like he was standing inside of a painting.

"Isn't this place something? My Dad and I used to come here when I was a kid. I'd wear a coonskin cap and he'd make up stories to tell me about Daniel Boone."

Shafts of sunlight shifted over the land, the stream, Dave's face.

"That's incredibly sweet, Dave." Kurt said, imagining a young boy splashing around in the water, playing with his Dad.

"Let's spread out the blanket there," Dave suggested, gesturing toward a spot near the water, where the grass was shorter than in other areas. "Hey, look! A turtle!" Dave said, pointing toward the stream.

David Karofsky's excitement over seeing a turtle made Kurt smile. His heart tripped, and fell, and Kurt came to a decision.

"Let me help you with the blanket," Kurt offered, accepting his decision and holding it close to his heart. He wasn't ready to share his choice yet, but he would be…soon


	8. Chapter 8  A Deer

Title: Save Me

Fandom: Glee

Author: LizzyPoodle

Rating: Certain chapters – M. This chapter – T – I guess.

Characters: Kurt/Karofsky

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Warnings: This chapter could include references from anything up until the end of Season 2, but it's also fairly AU.

**I am not the world's slowest updater…but I know that I am among the slowest. I hope that you can be forgiving…I know that it's frustrating to have to wait for updates when you're ready for them RIGHT NOW, thank you very much! **

**I hope that you will enjoy this chapter. I think that there's one more chapter to go, and that will be it for my little story! **

**Just to remind you, Dave and Kurt were hiking, and Dave just saw a turtle by a stream. Kurt liked Dave's enthusiasm for this little creature…and Kurt made a decision.**

**A Deer**

Together they took the corners of the blanket and arranged it on the ground. Dave removed the food from his backpack along with the water. He then plucked a flower from the ground near them and plopped it in the middle of the blanket. At Kurt's raised eyebrow Dave shrugged and said "Uhm…centerpiece?" to which Kurt nodded his approval.

Dave tilted his head, first to the right, and then to the left, just as Kurt had seen him doing earlier in the day.

"Are you O.K.?" Kurt asked, unscrewing the cap off of the water bottle.

"Yeah, why?" Dave responded.

"It looks like your neck is bothering you, or something." 

Dave, chagrined, hadn't realized that Kurt had noticed. "Oh, it's nothing; just a little headache."

"You have a headache?"

The concern in Kurt's voice wrapped itself around Dave's heart and then traveled straight through his stomach and down to his cock. Dave reminded himself that Kurt was just a kind person by nature. He would have been concerned had any of his friends mentioned having a headache. Dave scolded himself; he was not to imagine that Kurt's concern meant more than it did.

"Can I help?" Kurt asked. "I may actually have some aspirin."

Dave, not wanting to be a bother, insisted, "I'm fine. It's nothing, really."

"Don't be silly!" Let me look for that aspirin. I really think that I may…"

"My neck needs to be adjusted, that's all. I'll go to the chiropractor on Monday. Don't worry about it, Kurt. Really."

"You have a chiropractor?"

"Every football player should have a chiropractor, seriously."

"Oh. Sports injuries. I guess I hadn't ever really thought about it. O.K., then. I just wish that I could help." Both boys chewed in silence.

Suddenly Kurt piped up with, "Would a massage help?"

Dave stopped, mid-chew, and looked up at Kurt. After blinking a couple of times, he resumed chewing, and managed to swallow the bite of sandwich despite how dry his mouth had suddenly become.

"You don't have to do that," Dave said, trying to push away the image of Kurt rubbing him down.

"It may help make you feel better. I know that I enjoy massages. Let's try!" Kurt encouraged. "O.K., then, let's see, how do we do this?" he wondered aloud. "How about if I sit on that rock and you sit on the ground? I'll be able to rub your neck pretty easily from that angle, I think." Kurt smiled an innocent smile.

The thought of sitting between Kurt's legs at his feet rendered Dave temporarily mute.

"Dave?" Kurt asked, when it took him too long to respond.

"O-O.K.," Dave breathed, unable to turn down this offer. He'd get to be so close to Kurt. He'd be able to, if he wanted, lean his head back, and have it land right in Kurt's lap. He swallowed hard.

Kurt headed over toward the rock. Dave followed after him, and carefully sat between Kurt's legs.

Kurt's legs. On either side of him. He was sitting. Between Kurt's legs.

And he was getting dizzy.

As Kurt lightly laid his hands on his neck, Dave struggled to keep from whimpering.

"Uhm…how hard do you usually like it?"

It wasn't an unusual question to be asked in this situation. It was, in fact, a perfectly normal question to be asked in this situation. The fact that it sounded dirty had nothing to do with anything, except the tightening of Dave's balls. Dave gave himself an inward talking-to, in which he insisted that he calm the fuck down.

"Uh, you can, uhm," Dave cleared his throat, and tried again. "You can go harder. If you just, uh, find where it feels like a knot, and, uhm, push hard, it'll help my muscles to relax. Just, uhm, squeeze and hold."

Kurt had helped his dad after hard days at work. He was no novice when it came to massage. He actually had some experience with finding the muscles that were tight, and his dad had declared his touch a magic one on more than one occasion. His fingers worked into Dave's trapezius muscles. Dave moaned.

"Too hard?" Kurt asked quietly.

"No, no. It's good…it's good…pressure," Dave struggled to get the words out while he also tried to focus on not moaning again. It wasn't easy. Kurt's hands felt amazing. They dug into the tight muscles of Dave's neck and shoulders.

"You really **are** tight. I'm glad that we're doing this. Do you think that it might help your headache to go away?"

Dave had closed his eyes, the better to experience the feeling of Kurt's touch.

In general Dave found it most comfortable not to speak during a massage, but he wanted to answer Kurt's question, even if his head was a little fuzzy from the skill in Kurt's fingers and from the floaty way that massages always made him feel. "I hurt myself during practice one day. The muscles on one side tend to be tighter than the muscles on the other side of my neck. My chiropractor could explain it better. Adjustments are best, but massage really helps. Thanks for doing this, Kurt. You're, you're really, uhm, you're really good."

Dave was thankful that his face was hidden from Kurt. He didn't want to creep him out with the ecstasy that probably showed on his features. Being touched by this boy, how many times had he fantasized about this?

"I just want you to feel better." Kurt asked, trying to ignore how much he liked having David between his legs and under his hands. He really was hoping that this would help. This wasn't supposed to be sexual, but he was finding it impossible not to feel the sensuality of it. He struggled not to hug Dave's warmth tightly between his legs. Kurt was sure that he could even smell the fresh scent of soap that Dave must have used in this morning's shower. He shivered at the thought of Dave in a shower as he continued to squeeze and knead. He wanted to lean down and taste Dave's skin.

Dave was experiencing the almost drunk-like state that he entered whenever he was relaxing into a massage. His breathing grew slow and deep as his muscles gradually let go of their tension. He rolled his head toward the right, and then to the left when there was a sudden _Pop!_

Kurt stilled his movements, terrified of both the sound that had come from Dave's neck, as well as what it had felt like under his hands when he'd heard it.

"Dave? What was that?"

It was clear to Dave that reassurance was in order. Kurt sounded petrified.

"That was probably C-7, the lowest bone in the neck. It usually is the one that will move when I'm relaxed. I can't believe that it released! Have you considered going into chiropractic? You have a gift," Dave said as he turned toward Kurt with a grateful smile.

When Dave turned, his mouth ended up being level with Kurt's lap. Dave took a deep breath and reminded himself that it had just been a massage, and nothing more. He leaned away and began to stand, rubbing his neck gently as he did so.

"That really feels better. Thanks." Dave turned away from Kurt, trying not to read into the intensity that he thought he saw on Kurt's face, knowing that Kurt could never feel the way about him that he felt about Kurt. Maybe being friends would be too hard. Why did he have to want Kurt so badly?

When Dave opened his eyes he saw that his forest had decided to give him a gift. The thought _consolation prize _flitted through his mind.

"Kurt!" he whispered, "Look. Do you see the deer over there? Don't make a move. He might get spooked and run away," Dave pointed as he spoke, not wanting Kurt to miss seeing this animal.

Kurt slowly stood up from the rock.

He had decided. It was time.

"Dave?"

"Yeah?" Dave turned back toward Kurt who was now standing right behind him, and who was moving so that they were standing face to face.

"I'm going to make a move," Kurt said, lifting one hand slowly up toward Dave's face.

"Don't get spooked…don't run away," Kurt touched his hand to Dave's face, and gently brought that face toward his own. Pausing briefly to extend the moment? To give Dave a chance to back away? To feel their breath mingle? Kurt softly touched his lips to Dave's. Kurt pulled back slightly, trying to gauge Dave's reaction, but Dave didn't allow the separation to last. He'd waited a long time to taste Kurt's lips again, and he wasn't about to let this moment pass. He initiated the next kiss, opening his mouth enough to touch Kurt's lips with his tongue.

A deer sipped at the water of the stream and a turtle sunned itself on a rock, while the breeze played with the plants, and two boys finally kissed.

**Please leave me a review, if you feel so inclined! It's sort of amazing how your reviews brighten my days!**


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Save Me

Fandom: Glee

Author: LizzyPoodle

Rating: Certain chapters – M. This chapter – T – I guess.

Characters: Kurt/Karofsky

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Warnings: This chapter could include references from anything up until the end of Season 2, but it's also fairly AU.

**A/N – Here it is! This is the last chapter of this story! Do you remember where it began? ****It's sort of important that you recall this story's beginning, which was:**

**Section 1 - Rainfall**

**Holding his umbrella as he dripped his way down the aisle, Kurt walked over to the various peanut butters.**

Now…let's wrap this up, shall we?

**LizzyPoodle Enjoyed ****The Outsiders**** and Admires What S.E. Hinton Did**

Dave woke slowly. The sunlight had shifted, and it was too warm on his face. He sat up a little and leaned back on his elbows as he looked over the few feet to where he knew he'd see Kurt. Sitting on Massage Rock, calmly watching the water trip over the stones of the meandering stream, Kurt sat, looking too beautiful to be real, let alone his boyfriend of almost 6 weeks.

Dave cleared his throat so that Kurt would know that he was awake. Kurt turned toward him, just as Dave knew he would. They smiled at one another as Dave got up and walked over toward him, enjoying the way that the sunlight shone in Kurt's eyes, making them sparkle as he smiled. Dave knew that he would never, as long as he lived, see any person, anywhere, come even close to being as beautiful as his boyfriend. He felt a familiar wave of disbelief wash through him. Kurt was his boyfriend. It was real. It was true. It was still hard to believe.

Dave hugged Kurt from behind, resting his head gently against Kurt's shoulder. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long at all. 20 minutes, maybe," Kurt responded.

"I must be insane, falling asleep when I could be spending time holding you."

Kurt grinned, appreciating the compliment. "Don't be silly! It gave me time to think about how to present my project to you."

Dave hugged him closer. "Yeah, about this project of yours…when do I get to see it?"

Kurt had been hinting about a small surprise that he had been working on for a few weeks, saying that he hoped Dave would like it.

"I'll show it to you, but first we have to go over the ground rules," Kurt said, looking nervous.

"Ground rules?" Dave asked. "Okay?"

Kurt gave a little hum of anxiety, and Dave's thoughts focused them selves toward one objective:

Comfort Kurt.

"Hey, what's going on? You don't have to show me anything, if you don't want to. Why are you so nervous? That's **my** job," Dave tried to joke gently. "Really, Kurt, you don't have to tell me anything about your project, if you don't want to."

Kurt looked into Dave's eyes, and quietly said, "I want to show you something, but you might not like it. I've never really shown this to anyone before. It's sort of…um…personal."

Dave's focus zoned in on the word personal. "Okay, so this is something personal?"

"Very," Kurt answered, clearly worried.

Dave examined Kurt's face, hoping that he'd be able to figure out the clues that it sort of felt like Kurt was dropping, but Dave just wasn't grasping.

"It's not something that I ever imagined feeling comfortable enough to share with anyone before now, really…well, except for teachers."

"Teachers?" Dave repeated, trying to keep up.

"Well, they make you show them."

Dave tilted his head and said, "You have no reason to be nervous, you know. If you have some deep, dark secret involving teachers or grades, or something, it doesn't matter to me."

Kurt cocked his head to the side. "Grades? What are you talking about, David?"

"I don't know," Dave admitted. "I just don't want you to feel nervous."

Kurt looked down. "I like to write," Kurt said, almost as if he was admitting to some great sin.

Dave waited for more, but when no other words appeared to be forthcoming, he prompted, "You like to write? That's…nice." He smiled crookedly, hoping that he was saying the right thing.

"You might not think it's so nice when you see what I've written," Kurt warned.

"Dave's left eyebrow shot up as he slowly asked, "What have you been writing?"

A guilty expression plastered itself across Kurt's face.

"I wrote a story about us."

"Dave considered what to say, finally coming up with a bland, but heartfelt, "That sounds great!"

"Do you…do you want to read it?"

What Dave wanted was to kiss those worry lines away from Kurt's face. "I want whatever will make you happy. That's pretty much **all** that I want these days," Dave reassured as he leaned over to brush his lips against the corner of Kurt's eye. He loved the softness of that spot.

Kurt melted into Dave's gentle kiss. "Well, it's in my backpack. Let me go and get it."

He reluctantly got up, off of the rock, and removed himself from the soothing comfort of Dave's embrace. He headed over to his backpack and unzipped it, removing from its pocket a narrow binder. Dave watched as Kurt looked down at the binder, inhaling and exhaling anxiously.

Dave walked over to him. "Let me read it. Please. I want to read what you wrote."

"You might not like it," Kurt warned again. "I wrote about how scared of you I used to be." Kurt worried at his lip, looking at Dave with uncertainty in his gaze.

"You mean you were honest?" Dave smiled gently, and a little bit sadly at the memory of who he used to be.

But Kurt was too concerned about his own insecurities to notice Dave's. "And you really might not like chapter 3. It's…kind of dirty."

"Or maybe I should read chapter 3 first," Dave teased.

Kurt nudged Dave and then nuzzled in for a hug. "If you don't like it, you don't have to finish it." 

Dave decided that he'd had enough.

"Hand it over, Hummel. Stop being nervous. There's pretty much nothing that you can do that I won't like." He held out his hand, and Kurt hesitantly placed the binder into Dave's solid grip.

"Thank you," Dave said crisply, bending down to sit on their blanket and get comfortable. He grinned at the glittered and decorated cover.

"Save Me?" Dave asked.

"It seemed like a good title for our story," Kurt shrugged.

"Well…you did save me from being lost, hiding, miserable, and alone, so if it's a story about us, then I guess the title does fit," Dave declared.

Kurt looked up at him. "Is that how you feel?"

"All the time," Dave promised, and he smiled, running his fingers underneath Kurt's chin in a loving tickle.

"Read!" Kurt demanded, ready to share this personal part of himself with this boy he'd come to care about more deeply than he'd ever imagined.

Kurt sat down, squishing himself close to his boyfriend so that he could rest his head on Dave's shoulder. Kurt sighed in contentment. Dave's shoulder was the most comfortable place in the world for Kurt to rest his head. The heat from Dave's skin warmed his own, and Kurt breathed in his boyfriend as Dave started to read:

**Section 1 - Rainfall**

**Holding his umbrella as he dripped his way down the aisle, Kurt walked over to the various peanut butters.**

I hope that what I did made sense! Writing this has been a pleasure, and I cannot thank you enough for your reviews and alerts. The Pirate community is a special one, and it has come to mean rather a great deal to me. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope that you enjoyed reading it at least half as much as I've enjoyed writing it. (HUGS EVERYONE)


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